What Fairfield College Preparatory School does

Fairfield College Preparatory School is a private Jesuit Catholic college preparatory school founded in 1942 in Fairfield, Connecticut, serving approximately 840 young men in grades 9-12. The school operates as a division of Fairfield University and occupies an enclave on the university's 200-acre campus at 1073 North Benson Road, with access to university facilities including the Quick Center for the Arts, Dimenna-Nyselius Library, and Division I athletic venues. The educational model is built on the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (Context, Experience, Reflection, Action, Evaluation) and the Grad at Grad framework (Open to Growth, Intellectually Competent, Religious, Loving, Committed to Doing Justice), combining intellectual formation with Jesuit spirituality and service.

The core product is a four-year college preparatory curriculum delivered through 59-60 full-time teaching faculty (85% holding advanced degrees, average 10.6 years at Prep), 25 Advanced Placement courses, 2 dual-credit courses through Fairfield University, 17 varsity sports across 35 athletic teams, and 55+ extracurricular activities. Supporting technology infrastructure includes a 1:1 iPad program (since 2014), the Prep Connect online portal, the Arrupe Virtual Learning Institute partnership for online courses, and state-of-the-art facilities such as the McLeod Innovation Center, Barrett Science Center, and the Barron Center for Arts & Recreation (47,000+ sq ft, opening Fall 2026). Eight dedicated school counselors support college placement, with 100% of graduating seniors accepted to four-year colleges, including matriculations at all eight Ivy League schools.

The revenue model is anchored by recurring annual tuition of $28,000 (2026-27 academic year), generating approximately $23.5M in gross tuition revenue against a $3.8M need-based financial aid budget (33% of students receive aid averaging 43-52% of tuition, maximum 95%). The Go Forth comprehensive campaign targets $90M in philanthropic capital for faculty, programs, facilities, and the Barron Center, alongside $400K in Magis Merit Scholarships funded by alumni. Secondary revenue streams include Prep Pride Store merchandise sales, summer camps (Innovation, Football, Rugby, Esports), and various planned-giving vehicles (IRA rollovers, charitable trusts, appreciated securities). Customer segments are families of prospective students from 50+ Connecticut towns and 80+ middle schools, the 14,000+ alumni network, and donor/benefactor constituencies.

Name

Fairfield College Preparatory School

Legal name

Fairfield College Preparatory School

Website

https://fairfieldprep.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Fairfield College Preparatory School is a private Jesuit Catholic college preparatory school founded in 1942 in Fairfield, Connecticut, serving approximately 840 young men in grades 9-12 with rigorous academics, athletics, and faith formation as a division of Fairfield University.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition: Primary revenue stream from tuition payments. Tuition for 2026-27 Academic Year is $28,000. Revenue supports operational costs, faculty salaries, programs, and financial aid.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Significant revenue through annual giving (Fairfield Prep Fund), comprehensive Go Forth campaign ($90 million), endowed funds, bequests, charitable trusts, IRA rollovers, life insurance gifts, and matching gifts. The Go Forth campaign aims to strengthen the school's ability to cultivate future leaders.
3. Merchandise Sales: Prep Pride Store generates revenue through sales of sportswear, spirit wear, gift wear, and school accessories. Proceeds benefit the school.
4. Financial Aid Revenue (offset by aid): School awarded $3.8 million in need-based financial aid for 2024-25 school year, with average award offsetting tuition by 52%. Merit scholarships of $400,000 awarded to Class of 2028.
5. Securities and Stock Donations: Accepts appreciated securities donations where donors may be eligible for income tax deduction of full market value and avoid capital gain tax. Electronic transfers through Merrill Lynch.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Fairfield College Preparatory School delivers a four-year Jesuit Catholic college preparatory education for young men in grades 9-12, combining 25 Advanced Placement courses, dual credit courses through Fairfield University, and an Ignatian formation program rooted in the Grad at Grad characteristics. The school supplements academics with 17 varsity sports, visual and performing arts, 55+ extracurricular activities, college counseling, and service immersion programs, all delivered at tuition of $28,000 per year for 2026-27.

Product overview

Fairfield College Preparatory School is a Jesuit Catholic high school offering a four-year college preparatory education for young men in grades 9-12. The school provides a unified educational experience combining rigorous academics with spiritual formation (Jesuit identity), athletic programs (17 varsity sports), visual and performing arts, and service opportunities. Key facilities include the new Barron Center for Arts & Recreation (opening Fall 2026), McLeod Innovation Center for STEM, and Barrett Science Center. The school operates the Prep for Success career readiness program, AMDG faith formation program, and publishes the Bellarmine Review literary magazine. Students access resources through the Prep Connect portal, and the Prep Pride Store handles merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jesuit Catholic College Preparatory Education
• Summer Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of graduating seniors accepted into 4-year colleges
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Thomas Merton Family CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Food pantry and family center in Bridgeport, CT. Prep alumnus Nicholas Martinez '13 serves as Director since May 2025. Center provides support to individuals and families in the community, exemplifying Jesuit ideal of accompanying those most in need with compassion, dignity, and hope.
• Liberation ProgramsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024Nonprofit organization providing treatment and prevention services for substance use and mental health disorders. Fairfield Prep students volunteered to sort and pack 125 wellness bags for clients in residential treatment programs. Organization serves over 1,000 individuals daily with locations in Bridgeport, Greenwich, Norwalk, Stamford, and Westport. CEO John Hamilton oversees partnership with Prep.
• Fairfield UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Fairfield Prep is a division of Fairfield University, located on the university's 200-acre campus. Students access university facilities including Quick Center for the Arts, Dimenna-Nyselius Library, and Division I athletic facilities. Dual credit courses offered in Bioengineering and Film & Video Production. The university's Leo D. Mahoney Arena hosts commencement exercises.
• Belen Jesuit Preparatory School (Miami)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Brother school partnership for service immersion experiences. Prep students traveled to Florida joining Belen Jesuit for Urban Plunge focused on ecological justice. Students participated in ecological excursion to the Everglades practicing seeing God in all things through Ignatian spirituality.
• AMDG Program (Boston College)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Faith exploration program launched by Boston College in 2024. Goal is to energize personal and communal religious practices of youth ages 16-29. Collaborates with 15 high schools, 5 colleges, and 5 parishes across the U.S. to immerse over 600 participants in year-long faith exploration and service journey. Prep's inaugural AMDG cohort prepared for Camino Ignaciano pilgrimage.
• Jesuit Schools NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024National network of Jesuit schools. Fairfield Prep is affiliated with the Jesuit Schools Network, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Connecticut Association of Independent Schools, National Association of Independent Schools, National Catholic Education Association, and other regional and national educational associations.

Scale indicators26 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Regis High School: Elite Jesuit all-boys college preparatory school in New York City offering grades 9-12. Highly tuition-subsidized (free tuition model) and serves a similarly academically gifted population, making it a direct comparable to Fairfield Prep on mission, structure, and outcomes profile.
• St. Joseph's Preparatory School: Jesuit all-boys Catholic college preparatory school in Philadelphia, PA, grades 9-12. Comparable to Fairfield Prep on Jesuit mission, all-boys structure, strong athletics, and Ivy League college placement outcomes in the NE corridor.
• Brophy College Preparatory: Jesuit all-boys Catholic college preparatory school in Phoenix, AZ, grades 9-12. Shares Fairfield Prep's Ignatian identity, all-boys model, robust athletics program (which Fairfield Prep explicitly references Bellarmine Parents' Organization suggests a Bellarmine/Prep network peer), and college-prep outcomes focus.
• Fordham Preparatory School: Jesuit all-boys college preparatory school in the Bronx, NY, grades 9-12. Affiliated with Fordham University and uses the Ignatian framework, making it a direct comparable to Fairfield Prep on Jesuit identity, university affiliation, and college-prep curriculum.
• Bellarmine College Preparatory: Jesuit all-boys Catholic college preparatory school in San Jose, CA, grades 9-12. Uses the same Grad at Grad framework referenced by Fairfield Prep and operates the largest Jesuit high school alumni network on the West Coast, serving as a direct mission and structure peer.
• Georgetown Preparatory School: Jesuit all-boys Catholic college preparatory school in North Bethesda, MD, grades 9-12. The country's oldest Jesuit school, sharing Fairfield Prep's Ignatian formation model, all-boys structure, and emphasis on service and rigorous college placement.
• Saint Ignatius College Prep: Jesuit Catholic co-ed college preparatory school in Chicago, IL, grades 9-12 (co-ed since 1994). Operates under the same Ignatian pedagogical paradigm as Fairfield Prep and offers comparable college-prep outcomes, serving as a peer on Jesuit mission even though it is co-ed.
• Boston College High School: Jesuit all-boys Catholic college preparatory school in Chestnut Hill, MA, grades 9-12. Affiliated with Boston College and consistently sends a large cohort of graduates there, mirroring Fairfield Prep's university-affiliation model and Boston College as a top placement destination (42 students per Prep data).
• Xavier High School: Jesuit all-boys Catholic college preparatory school in New York City serving grades 9-12. Operates with the same Ignatian pedagogical framework and emphasizes 'Men for Others,' mirroring Fairfield Prep's mission, structure, and competitive positioning in the NE Jesuit prep market.

Regional players

• Hopkins School: Elite private co-ed college preparatory school in New Haven, CT, grades 7-12. While not Jesuit, Hopkins is the most direct geographic competitor to Fairfield Prep for academically gifted CT families and competes for the same college-prep outcomes narrative.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fairfieldprep
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fairfieldprepjesuits
• Facebookfacebook.com/fairfieldprep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/4341611/profile
• Instagraminstagram.com/fairfieldprep

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fairfield College Preparatory School